Thursday, July 24, 2014

Bergami’s Pizza is a new fast and casual pizza place off Rhode
Island Ave and it is one of the most dangerous places I have reviewed. Do knives randomly fall from the ceiling? No. Is
there a range for blind archery enthusiasts?
No. Do they offer glass shards as
a topping? No. It is dangerous because it’s tasty, fast, and
right on my work commute.

I was invited to give Bergami’s a try, and it would have
been unconscionable to refuse. Upon
arrival, I was greeted by a friendly man behind the counter, who turned out to
be the manager, with an explanation of the ordering process. The ordering style is similar to the &Pizza
where you choose your crust and toppings and it is assembled and baked as you
step down the ordering line. Once it’s
out of the oven, there are additional fresh garnish items to top it all
off. I browsed the options for the crust,
sauce, and toppings, and also considered the various Chef’s Suggestions of different
fully-loaded pizzas. Pizza often brings
out my inner carnivore and I’m always tempted to order a triple meat lover’s
with a meat garnish. They had all the
offerings to construct such a request, but for some reason, I felt obligated to
try something outside of my usual request.
I asked a second

friendly man behind the counter, who happened to be the
owner, which Chef’s Suggestion was tasty.
He asked if I preferred red or white pizzas and I replied, “Yes.” He suggested the Goomah, a white pie with
whole-milk mozzarella, goat cheese, salami, red peppers, spinach, chicken, oil,
and pecorino. Was it good? Yup. The
mixture of flavors on a crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside crust was an
enjoyable departure from my usual “MEAT GOOD!” style pizza. Does this mean I’m forgoing carnivore pizzas
for good? No, it’s just nice to try
something else now and then. For drinks,
they offer Pepsi products from the fountain, and some higher-end bottled
sodas. If you’re in the mood for adult
beverages, they have an impressive selection of craft beers available. The seating area is a bit small and it can
get crowded during meal rushes, but the crowd moves through quickly as the
pizzas are doled out. I was so satisfied with lunch that I took home a pepperoni and sausage pizza to share with Ms. Classy.

What really sets them apart from other fast and casual pizza
places is that they open bright and early at 6am. They serve up customizable breakfast pizzas
and offer a full coffee menu, not just regular and decaf pots sitting on a
warmer. I hope the breakfast offerings
work out for them, I think it’s a neat idea.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Speaking of tapas, Ms. Classy and I usually don’t consider
this dining style because, we do enjoy the variety of flavors, but are bummed
when the bill comes after eating our fill.
The kind people of Pulpo invited us in for a tasting to see if they
could sway our opinion. Consider it
swayed. To our mutual delight, many of
Pulpo’s Spanish-inspired tapas selections are much more fulfilling than anticipated.

The good people of Pulpo had quite a plan for us. They started us off with the grilled
asparagus with pistachio-orange pesto.
The pesto was AMAZING. The only
slight little hiccup of a drawback was that the ends of the asparagus spears
were too fibrous. No big deal, we just
clipped off were the stalks ceased being perfectly tender and enjoyed the tasty
parts. The next dish presented to us was
the scallops in a sweetcorn puree with sides of pickled chilies and angry
popcorn. I have to admit, I was a bit
confused by the ‘angry’ popcorn. With a
name like ‘angry,’ I was expecting blow-the-back-of-your-head-off heat, but the
puffy kernels were merely sprinkled with paprika. It provided a nice color/texture
presentation, but flavor wise, I didn’t think the popcorn added anything to the
scallop dish overall. As far as the
scallops go, they were heavily seared on the outside, but perfectly cooked on
the insides. The next item up for bids
was the sautéed octopus. I was pleased
with the tenderness of the pieces and the fennel added a nice touch.

One dish we were most pleased with was the beef
brisket. First of all, the serving size
was substantial compared to your standard serving from tapas joints. This flavorful meat sits atop a black bean puree that really adds a nice depth of rich flavor. Next came the slow roasted pork belly and I tell you, it was heaven on a platter. The outsides were amazingly crispy and the insides were so tender and succulent. I literally melted when I tried it. Another generously portioned and highly recommended dish is the bacon Brussels sprouts. Now these things were roasted. The outer leaves
were quite charred and brittle with a tender, flavorful core. Ms. Classy felt they were a bit over-charred,
but I didn’t mind at all. And, well let’s
be honest, there’s bacon. The only way bacon
ruins a dish by poor preparation, which wasn’t the case here. And our final savory selection were the
smoked pork tacos. These were the best
pork tacos I’ve had, hands down. The
meat was just the right amount of moist, tender, and smoky (much better than
the ones I’ve had at Oyamel).

Our dinner ended as many dinners do: with dessert. They served us a heaping tres leches
V2.0. This isn’t your standard tres
leches cake that’s saturated with sweet dairy goodness. This is goat cheese frosting between two
slices of angel food cake, with ducle de leche drizzled over top, surrounded by
sheep milk foam, blueberries, and crumble.
It was quite good and sizable.
But I have to confess, this is a dish we wouldn’t have minded them
sticking to tradition. It’s hard to beat
saturated spongecake.

Overall, we loved our meal and were impressed with the
portion sizes, prices, and quality when compared to other tapas
restaurants. If you want exceptional
drink deals, visit during their happy hour from 4pm to 7:30 and then again from
10pm to closing where all drinks are half price: no exception, no joke.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Since I loved Good Stuff Eatery (I even hand delivered a
Sunnyside burger to Ms. Classy at her place of work just so she could
experience the burger bliss), it was only a matter of days before I stopped by
for a visit to We, the Pizza.

When viewing the plethora of unconventional pizzas, I felt
overwhelmed and indecisive. However, I
was visiting during the best time for speedy service and prompt turn-around
time from ordering to eating: the doldrums between lunch and dinner. Even though I had plenty of time to decide, I
felt the intense pressure of a dozen or so unique and appealing pizza options
pulling me in a dozen directions. I
could not decide, so I opted for a slice of the ‘pizza of the month’ before
knowing what it was, which turned out to be spicy chorizo and corn salsa. Their wings prices are reasonable, so I
ordered a side of six Sriracha Hot & Honey Sweet wings. Altogether, the tab totaled $10.00, managing
to stay on par with my definition of a cheap eat.

When I received my order, I found a seat and pondered where
to start. I have an obsession with

wings
and immediately wanted to start there, however, the less time a pizza spends
between the oven and your mouth, the better it is, so I went with the
latter. When I picked up the pizza
slice, it held its shape. I LOVE a firm,
crunchy crust where the plate’s only purpose is to catch the crumbs instead of
the dripping ingredients from a sagging slice.
The real kicker is that the crust also managed to have a bit of
chewiness – absolute crust perfection.
As far as the flavor goes, it was very interesting. I’ve never had corn on a pizza, but it
worked.

However, the real stars of the lunch were the wings. I know I’m not being objective here, I am
wing-obsessed, but these were great. I
chose the homemade ranch sauce with the hopes that I didn’t need to use it,
because good wings can stand alone without the help of any sauce. These wings had an excellent heat and sweet
one-two punch. The breading had just the
right amount of thickness and the size and quality of the chicken were
excellent. I wanted to grab my phone and
start canonizing my wing experience as it was happening, but this was a sticky-finger
meal, so I had to wait until I scrubbed, rinsed, and scrubbed my hands again
before touching anything.

Will I go back?
Whenever I’m in or near the neighborhood. I’m making it a personal goal to sample the
four other wing flavors. I could also
pick up a Sunnyside burger at Good Stuff Eatery and compliment it with wings
from We, the Pizza, but I don’t think I will.
Such a lunch experience would be my equivalent to summiting
Everest. Sure, having the Perfect Lunch
would be monumental, but there would be a touch of sadness at knowing I've
reached the highest point and a step away in any direction would be a step
downward.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

I know, Founding Farmers is definitely not a place for a cheap fellow like me, and you're right (I'll talk about my bill later). However, they do have wings on the menu and it's my civic duty to try all the wings DC has to offer. Since it was about 10 minutes to happy hour, I inquired about Founding Farmers happy hour offerings, but my cheer was deflated with the news that they did not participate in such tomfoolery.With no happy hour to cure the 'I'm paying full price' blues, I got down to business and ordered the plate of Oven-Roasted Black Pepper Wings, along with a Lime Basil Saison brought in from 3 Stars Brewery. When the wings came, I couldn't help but notice they looked amazing, and they were. The shimmery soy glaze, chopped scallions, with a squeeze of fresh lime drizzled over top and the zip of pepper gave a complexity of flavors that's a rare find in an order of wings. The quality of cooking as also top notch: crispy on the outside with tender, juicy chicken on the inside.

However, this was not the perfect wing experience. I had one problem: this plate of six wings cost $9.00, with an $8.00 beer to boot. I've been to other places whose regular priced wings have exceeded the 1:1 dollar:wing ratio, but not by this much and they also offered a happy hour where the prices of wings and beer were significantly reduced. In the end, yes, the wings were amazing (they'd better be at that price, or they would have had a one-man riot on their hands), but they were also the most expensive and not even the best of the best that I've had. In a town that specializes in high-end happy hours, I don't consider Founding Farmers to be in the top echelon of restaurants that are above having one.

Friday, August 16, 2013

This month, Capitol City Brewing Company turned 21 and celebrated by adding a new brew to their lineup: Honey 21. I was pleased to get an invite to the birthday bash, as I'm always pleased when I have evidence that someone actually reads my blog.
A few of the big bloggers in town were also in attendance, each with an entourage. I grabbed a complimentary Honey 21 and did my best to stay out of the way as I watched these entourages intermingle. Realizing I was reliving every high school dance I've ever attended, I quickly joined in the jabbering. Soon, appetizers were served, and I immediately locked onto the plates of Buffalo and Old Bay wings. There were several other non-wing items presented, but I don't recall what they were. Brushing all conversation aside, I plucked a couple wings from each plate. I usually don't order 'Old

Bay' anything because I imagine the seasoning applied to the ordered food item with one of those baseball game t-shirt cannons: to mean that there is usually WAY too much Old Bay heaped upon the order. However, these wings were complimentary and also had a sensible dusting of Old Bay that didn't require an immediate palate cleanse after every nibble. The Buffalo wings were not breaded and the sauce is made in-house. Overall they were good. The flavors were standard, the quality of the chicken was good, the cooking was spot on, but they didn't stand out.

Eventually, my hunger escalated. I slid up to the bar, tried the Smokey Wheat beer and ordered the Tuna Steak Sandwich. The bartender plunked down a basket of complimentary soft pretzels with a horseradish-based sauce to keep me occupied while my dinner was being prepared. The bartender was awesome: quick service and full of witty banter. The Tuna Steak Sandwich finally arrived. The tuna was impressively thick and wonderfully seasoned. However, it was cooked within an inch of its life. I would have preferred the tuna to be seared on the outside and deliciously red on the inside, but this was white and dry all the way through.

Unfortunately, the food was overall disappointing. What I enjoyed most was the busy sports bar atmosphere and the friendly and funny bartender. If your main goal is a place with lots of seating, micro-brewed beers, and lots of sports on lots of televisions, with friendly and entertaining service, then this place should be on your short list. If you're looking to sit down to tasty bar fare, there are better options.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

The Good Stuff Eatery has been on my ‘to eat’ list for quite
a while.I’ve read numerous postings
about the awesome burgers and viewed mouth-watering pictures of the hand-spun
shakes all over twitter and tumblr.Well, this day was my time to shine.

The lunch hour was officially underway and the tail of the
snaking line was nearly poking through the door.This was to my benefit, since I was at the
restaurant that’s the heart of the Venn diagram where cheap and delicious
overlap and I was feeling indecisive about which burger to choose.To my chagrin, the line moved quickly and I
was forced to come to a decision, or else face the ire of the dozens of patrons
behind me.Since I skipped breakfast,
the Spike’s Sunnyside burger seemed an appropriate choice.

The menu cautions to have plenty of napkins at the ready
when ordering this burger.As I’ve
mentioned before, despite my best efforts, I’m a messy eater and I was sporting
my professional garb – but the burger looked irresistible.I ordered it and promised myself to eat it
with exceeding caution (famous last words).

The menu warning was necessary; it is a sloppy burger.I tossed my tie back over my shoulder, inched
my chair back, then leaned forward with my elbows jutted out and up, as if I
was about to do a seated version of the chicken dance, and bit into the juicy,
wonderful burger.A mixture of yolk and
Good Stuff Sauce slopped onto the paper-lined tray, but my clothes were
mercifully spared.

Was it good?Oh
doctor, yes!I’ve had the fried egg on
burger before, and this was perfection.The consistency of the yolk added to the juiciness and richness of the
burger.The mayo-based Good Stuff Sauce
doesn’t stand out, but ties the flavors together.And every menu item at every restaurant on
earth is made better with bacon.For a
side, I got a snack size Spike’s Village Fries.The sprinkle of thyme, rosemary, and sea salt elevates these fries from
good to gourmet.

I tweeted about my meal satisfaction and had an immediate
response to try the toasted marshmallow shake, but my stomach was at capacity.Oh well, that means I have incentive for a
return visit.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

When I have unforgettable wings, I have to give a shout
out.This shout out goes to Tommy Joe’s
in Bethesda and their amazing Poho style wings.When a restaurant can take something as ubiquitous as wings and make
them stand out and memorable, it’s worth recognition and revisits.

I had noticed Tommy Joe’s, what seemed to be a little
smokehouse, quite some time ago and made a mental note to try them out when I
happened to be hungry and nearby.Well,
eventually that day came.I sauntered up
to the bar during the quiet hours between lunch and dinner and was quickly
handed a menu.The first thing I search
for is their wing offerings and if they only have the usual barbecue, buffalo,
and plain/Old Bay, I check to see if any other items catch my eye, only
returning if the rest of the items seem as unexciting as their wing flavors.That’s when I saw the Poho style wings double
basted in a secret sauce and finished on a grill.I
asked about this enigmatic item and the bartender explained that they are a
popular item ad one of her favorites.Capturing the spirit of anyone who has ever proclaimed ‘YOLO,’ I ordered
these wings.

And am I glad I did.The grill finish gave them a dry texture and a slight, smoky
flavor.I prefer dry wings over extra
saucy wings due to my inability to keep my face clean while eating them.There was a subtle spiciness, a little tangy,
and an underlying peanut flavor.These
wings had a complex and unique flavor that really puts them in the top
percentile of wing flavors. There is no need for a dipping sauce, unless you want to mask the wonderful flavor of the wings. Also, the chicken was good quality. The wings were juicy and not loaded with fat and gristle. Unfortunately, my visit was a couple hours before happy hour and I paid
full price ($10.50 for 10 wings).I’ll
have to remember to return during happy hour, 4pm-8pm M-F, to get them
half price.